The Classic TV Archive - US Comedy Series
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Starring Jack Benny
Season 11 (CBS) (1960-61)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by: Steve Jensen, James Beer
references:
TV Guide / Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive
########### The Jack Benny Program ###########
############ season 11 1960-61 ###############
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CBS Sundays 9:30 pm Eastern (Weekly) (26 episodes)
(filmed at Desilu Studios)
Season 11, Episode 1: Nightbeat Takeoff
Original Air Date—16 October 1960
11.2 [125] The Jack Benny Program: THE DICK CLARK SHOW
23-Oct-60 CBS Sunday
Guest Cast:
Dick Clark, Bob Darrin, Susie Silo, Lorraine Wilson
Synopsis:
Jack, who's been middle-aged for so long, decides it's time to make a play for the teen-age set.
To learn the ropes, he drops in on "American Bandstand" proprietor Dick Clark. [JB]
Season 11, Episode 3: Milton Berle Show
Original Air Date—30 October 1960
11.4 [127] The Jack Benny Program: HONG KONG SUIT [verified -SJ]
Original Air Date—6 November 1960 CBS Sunday
Guest Star:
Gisele MacKenzie (Herself)
Synopsis [SJ]
Don Wilson, while eating a chicken leg and piece of celery, tells us that Jack went to Andre's barbershop for a haircut.
At the shop, none of the barbers including Andre, want to cut Jack's hair but Harry (Richard Deacon) finally agrees.
Jack then wants a manicure and then a shoe shine. Jack is continually asked if he wants Novocaine and once again after
Jack is told his bill is $3.50. Back on stage, Jack tells the audience that the North Hartford Nudist Colony was supposed
to be in the audience tonight but they were all arrested---for jaywalking. Jack tells the audience about his $12 suit he
bought in Hong Kong. Jack then introduces his guest star, Gisele MacKenzie, who plays the piano and sings "Smile". Jack
then talks with Gisele about his new suit and then Jack tries to get Gisele to take him along to a party. At one point,
Gisele is trying to keep from laughing but bursts out, spitting on Jack (and it was not part of the act). Jack & Gisele
then play violins with their first song called "Fascination" which ends in a few seconds of "Putting on the Ritz".
They then do an encore of a classical song and during the performance, Jack's $12 suit starts coming apart and by the
time Gisele leaves the stage, after shaking Jack's hand, she ends up taking Jack's suit coat sleeve with her. At the end
of the show, Jack mentions that it was too bad about what happened to his suit - as he has 11 more of them. [SJ]
Season 11, Episode 5: John Wayne Show
Original Air Date—20 November 1960
Season 11, Episode 6: Joey Bishop Show
Original Air Date—27 November 1960
11.7 [--] The Jack Benny Program: LUNCH COUNTER MURDER
4-Dec-1960 CBS Sun
Guest Star: Dan Duryea (as Himself)
With: Verna Felton, Frank Nelson, Benny Rubin, Colin Campbell, Dick Kallman
Synopsis:
Jack's monologue concerns the previous night's bachelor party. Dennis does not want to sing because Dan Duryea
got the star dressing room. His mother has thrown Duryea out of the room. The sketch is entitled 'Death across
the lunch counter, or He died sunnyside up.' Jack plays Charleston T. Gundlefinger, a counterman in a diner. Don
plays the police chief. It is midnight, and Jack is nervous because a man was murdered across the street the week
before. Three toughs (Duryea, Day and Nelson) come in and intimidate Jack. The police chief is no help. Benny
shoots Duryea and Day, but Nelson turns out to be the interior decorator.
11.8 [--] The Jack Benny Program: JACK GOES TO A CONCERT
11-Dec-1960 CBS
Guest Stars: Jimmy Stewart (as Himself) Gloria Stewart (as Herself)
With:
Erno Neufelt, Hank Weaver, Damian O'Flynn, Robert Patton, Pat Colby, Barbara Nichols (as Mildred)
Synopsis:
Jack insists on taking Mildred to a violin concert even though his girlfriend would prefer to attend the
boxing arena. Jack spies Jimmy Stewart and his wife in the crowd and tries to attract their attention by
pelting him with peanuts, which only results in driving them from the theater. Bored, Mildred tries to get
the radio station carrying fights on her transistor radio, which drives the remaining audience members out.
Season 11, Episode 9: Christmas Show
Original Air Date—18 December 1956
It's the week before Christmas and Jack drops by Edgar Bergen's house to go over the upcoming show's script
with his guest star. When Edgar is detained rehearsing his radio show, his wife Frances entertains Jack.
Jack is amazed when Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd walk into the room and are introduced. Jack always
assumed they were merely ventriloquist's dummies. Edgar finally returns and is ready to present his ideas
for a sketch to Jack, but insists on Jack sitting on his knee to hear them.
Season 11, Episode 10: Amateur Show
Original Air Date—25 December 1960
11.11 [--] The Jack Benny Program: JACK CASTING FOR A TV SPECIAL
1-Jan-1961 CBS
Written by Sam Perrin & George Balzer & Hal Goldman & Al Gordon
Directed by James V. Kern
Guest Star: Mel Blanc
With: Barry Gordon, Maudie Prickett, Jackie Russell, Mary Young, Dennis Holmes
Auditioning actors for a 1 hour show recounting his thrilling life provokes many emotions in Jack: lust for
a young actress, vanity when an elderly woman from his hometown shows up, and especially greed. A young actor
is perfect for Jack as a child, which the actor's 10 year old agent takes every advantage of.
Season 11, Episode 12: Jack Goes to the Vault
Original Air Date—8 January 1961
11.13 [--] The Jack Benny Program: DON'S ANNIVERSARY
Original Air Date—15 January 1961
On the anniversary of Don Wilson's 27 years of service with Jack, he and Jack recall the first day they met,
when Don showed up for an audition and Jack put him through dance and elocution classes to "whip him into shape".
Season 11, Episode 14: Jack at Supermarket
Original Air Date—22 January 1961
Season 11, Episode 15: Jack Is Hypnotized
Original Air Date—29 January 1961
11.16 [139] The Jack Benny Program: JACK GOES TO GYM [verified -SJ]
5-Feb-1961 CBS Sun
Directed by Fred De Cordova
Guest Start: Alan Hale Jr
Synopsis:
Jack wants to impress a pretty receptionist, who likes men with muscles. Jack convinces Don Wilson to sign up for a
muscle building course for $75 and Jack gets to join for $5. Alan Hale, Jr. plays the operator of McQuires Gym.
Figuring out how to build muscles on Jack is a problem for the gym. At one point a photographer wants to take before
and after photos with the after photo of Jack standing behind a muscle bound cardboard figure. Jack says that's silly
but then orders a dozen copies. After 6 weeks, Jack returns to the receptionist with broad shoulders but finds out
that she is engaged to a 90 lb weakling. Another man comes up and admires Jacks broad shoulders and Jack removes his
jacket with the padded shoulders and tells the guy, you can have them. [SJ]
11.17 [140] The Jack Benny Program: THE DEATH ROW SKETCH [verified -SJ]
12-Feb-1961 CBS Sun
Written by Sam Perrin, George Balzer, Al Gordon, Hal Goldman
Guest Star: Mamie Van Doren (as Herself)
With: Gerald Mohr, Frank Nelson, Howard McNear, Alan Dexter, Jeanette Eymann, Ned Miller
Synopsis:
In this episode, Mamie Van Doren is the guest star who convinces Jack to let her sing instead of Dennis Day
but eventually, Mamie and Dennis sing a duet. The main story has Jack sitting on death row for killing a guy.
The warden, Frank Nelson, listens as Jack explains how his being in prison was a mistake. Bruce Fink (Jack) is
married to Flossie (Mamie) and Gerald Mohr plays the part of Harry, a boarder in the Fink home. Dennis Day
plays the part of Gus Fink, a not too intelligent son. Bruce has to repeatedly tell Gus what different objects are
in the house. Harry and Flossie are taking up with each other but Bruce can't find his glasses and doesn't see what is
going on. Bruce ends up, finding his glasses, sees his wife and Harry together as Gus has another "dumb" attack.
Bruce says he has had it, gets a gun and fires. Seems that Bruce was aiming for his dumb son but the bullet ricochets
off Gus's head and accidentally kills Harry. Flossie thinks the warden is cute now. [SJ]
Season 11, Episode 18: Musicale
Original Air Date—19 February 1961
11.19 [142] The Jack Benny Program: JACK BECOMES SURGEON [verified -SJ]
26-Feb-1961 CBS Sun
Synopsis:
While cleaning out Jack's attic, Rochester and Jack listen to an old gramophone recording with Thomas Edison thanking
Jack for a loan of money. Rochester finds a medical school application for Jack and Rochester begins thinking what
would have happened if Jack had gone to medical school. In Rochester's thoughts, Jack arrives for a surgery on a gurney
and Mel Blanc is scrubbing up at the sink but it turns out that he's actually scrubbing his socks and underwear.
Later, an X-ray shows a couple kissing, Jack plays Tic Tac Toe on another patient's X-ray and Jack plays a lullaby
on his violin to put his patient to sleep but Blanc falls asleep. A guy shows up to pay a $200 doctor's bill for a
baby delivery but the "baby" is now a grown man. During the operation, Jack watches a nurse as she walks away and the
patient's arm comes up and pulls Jack's head back to him. All during this time, the respirator balloon has been growing
and keeps bumping into Jack who elbows it away. Finally the balloon bursts and the sketch ends with Jack and the nurses
walking away in ripped and torn clothing. They made medical history by "blowing out an appendix"! [SJ]
Season 11, Episode 20: Detective Story
Original Air Date—5 March 1961
Season 11, Episode 21: Children's Version of the Show
Original Air Date—12 March 1961
11.22 [145] The Jack Benny Show: JACK GOES TO LAS VEGAS
19-Mar-1961 CBS
Guest Stars: The Mills Brothers (as Themselves)
With: Richard Deacon, Dabbs Greer, Olan Soule, William Bakewell, Eddie Quillan, Ned Miller
